Energy Systems of the Future

Initiative of the German Academies of Sciences

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This is what the future could look like in 2050: Electricity is mainly generated from wind and solar power. Cars are fuelled with electricity or hydrogen. Buildings are so well insulated that they no longer require heating.

How do we get there? What remains to be explored? And how is the transition towards a more sustainable energy supply to be financed? The Academies’ Project “Energy Systems of the Future” provides answers to these questions.

Current issues

News

Are blackouts in Germany likely? ESYS addresses concerns and looks to the future

There is much discussion about whether the current gas shortage can cause blackouts in Germany. How justified are these concerns? The academies of sciences acatech, Leopoldina and the Union of Academies provide an overview with an impulse paper from their joint project “Energy Systems of the Future” (ESYS): what is the difference between a blackout and other power outages? How are the risks of blackouts shifting as the energy revolution advances? And how can we deal with them?

News

Removing barriers, accelerating growth: twelve policy options for expanding wind and solar power

Earlier this year, the German government adopted ambitious targets to accelerate the growth of wind and solar power. However, there are several barriers to this very necessary expansion of renewables. In a new position paper, the German academies of science set out twelve policy options for removing these barriers so that the required growth rate can be achieved.

News

The Impacts of the War in Ukraine on Energy Prices and Security of Supply in Europe

Europe can end its reliance on Russian energy imports within the next few years, according to a discussion paper of the Academies’ Project ESYS. There are three key requirements for this to happen: additional expansion of the gas transmission infrastructure, a reduction in demand for natural gas, and close, finely-tuned cooperation at European level.

„The energy transition is crucial in achieving the Paris Agreement’s central goal to keep the global average temperature below 2° C. The Academies’ Project ESYS can make a major contribution to accomplish this turn.“

Gerald Haug
President of the German Academy of Sciences Leopoldina

„The crises of the last two years have made it even clearer that the energy transition cannot wait. Academies bundle knowledge for society and thus also knowledge for the energy transition.“

Christoph Markschies
President of the Union of German Academies

„Only by working together as a global community can we succeed in solving global issues such as the energy transition. This requires modern technologies, cutting-edge research and interdisciplinary, cross-border projects such as ESYS.“

Jan Wörner
acatech President